Department of Pathology & Immunology
Please visit our website at http://www.bcm.edu/pathimmuno/
Chair
Thomas M. Wheeler, M.D.
Mission Statement
The Department of Pathology and Immunology provides the highest quality pathology services in areas of patient care, graduate medical education and research available anywhere, and offers a program in education and research relating to molecular immunology and immunological diseases. We provide didactic and seminar courses and research training in immunology to graduate students, medical students, and postdoctoral fellows.
General Description - Pathology
The pathology section at Baylor College of Medicine enjoys a national reputation for setting the standards for clinical practice, education of residents and fellows, and translational and basic research. Within the Texas Medical Center, we provide clinical and anatomic pathology services at Texas Children's Hospital, Ben Taub General Hospital, and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Administration Medical Center.
Since 1982, BCM has provided clinical and anatomic pathology services to many community health care centers in southeast Texas. Currently, BCM pathology has contracts to provide pathology services for over 30 regional hospitals/medical centers and a number of surgery centers and outpatient facilities, providing high-quality pathology services within a 200 mile radius of Houston. Our affiliated institutions are served by board certified pathologists who are full-time Baylor faculty members. Outlying physicians work on a "real-time" basis with BCM pathologists in the Texas Medical Center using the latest techniques of telepathology and virtual slide technology, or by teleconferencing with clinical pathologists in several subspecialties (blood banking and transfusion medicine, clinical chemistry, microbiology, immunopathology and hematopathology).
More than 60 board certified pathologists supported by Ph.D. laboratory supervisors and scientists comprise BCM Pathology's clinical research and practice arm. In anatomic pathology, we also have internationally-recognized experts who perform clinical and translational research along with diagnostic services in the Texas Medical Center and work on a daily basis with Baylor pathologists in our remote locations. These pathologists have access to departmental research tools such as confocal and fluorescent microscopy, electron microscopy, laser capture microdissection, virtual slide technology (Trestle) automated immunohistochemistry and tissue microarrarys from a variety of human cancers.
Our section has 4.7 million dollars in NIH and foundation sponsored basic and translational research grants in over 20,000 square feet of departmental laboratory space. BCM pathology has a focus in molecular and translational cancer biology, working closely with the NCI-designated Dan L. Duncan Center at Baylor College of Medicine. The cancer-related programs include research in prostate cancer and ovarian cancer. Several investigators have research programs emphasizing the importance of RNA in mammalian pathophysiology including RNA splicing, small RNAs such as microRNAs and piRNAs and RNA-based molecular switches, the roles of post-translational processing in human diseases. Other researchers have interests in infectious and non-infectious gastrointestinal diseases and research programs involving studies of hematopoietic stem cells.
General Description - Immunology
Research interests of the immunology faculty are diverse and include: lymphocyte activation, signal transduction and transcriptional regulation, apoptosis, mechanisms of V(D)J DNA recombination, development of T and B lymphocytes, stem cell development, gene therapy and genetic vaccines, antigen presentation and structure/function of MHC molecules, tumor immunology, leukocyte migration in inflammation and disease, and immune-related diseases including asthma, autoimmunity, AIDS and inherited immunodeficiencies.
Our research facilities are located in several areas throughout the Baylor College of Medicine complex, including laboratories at the main campus (DeBakey Center and Alkek Building), The Methodist Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. We offer state-of-the-art facilities for cellular and molecular immunology and immunochemistry, including tissue culture, protein sequencing, peptide synthesis, mass spectrometry, recombinant DNA, flow cytometry and cell sorting, and confocal microscopy facilities.
Immunology Education & Training Programs
Medical Student Curriculum
The Basic and Clinical Immunology course includes the study of normal immune functions and provides an introduction to transplantation immunology, immune deficiencies, autoimmunity, and other immunological diseases. Patient case-based discussions in small groups are used to integrate material presented in lectures.
Doctor of Philosophy Program
Our department offers a graduate program leading to the Ph.D. degree. The program provides an integrated multidisciplinary foundation in the areas of molecular and cell biology, and genetics, with emphasis on molecular immunology. Individuals educated in this program thus attain the conceptual breadth, coupled with the specialized research experience, necessary to undertake professional careers as investigators and teachers in the field of immunology. General requirements for admission and for attaining graduate degrees in the Immunology program are the same as those required by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences .
Our program is based on a multi-term set of required core and elective courses during the first year. A unique first-term course that we teach develops problem-solving and grant proposal writing skills using a particular host-parasite relationship as a topic for research and discussion. Core courses include those taught by the Graduate School as part of the service course curriculum and more specialized courses taught by the Immunology faculty.
Pre and Postdoctoral Training Grant
We have a Training Grant from the NIH for the support of graduate and postdoctoral students.
Immunology Research
Current research in immunology
Contact Us
Pathology
Baylor College of Medicine
Cullen Building, Rm. 286A
One Baylor Plaza
Houston, TX 77030
- Administrative Office: 713-798-4661
- Academic Offices: 713-798-4083
- Fax: 713-798-5838
- E-mail: path-it@bcm.edu
Immunology
Baylor College of Medicine
Michael E. DeBakey Center
One Baylor Plaza, Rm. M929
Houston, TX 77030
- Phone: 713-798-6054
- Program Coordinator: 713-798-3921
- Fax: 713-798-3700
- E-mail: immunology@bcm.edu